ALONZO JOHN BARKER
1858 — 1941
Written by Hazel Barker Bott
Alonzo J. Barker was born 1 July 1858 at American Fork, Utah. He was the son of John Newman and Mary Ann Marie Smart Barker. His father, John Newman was the son of Alfred Great and Anne Morris Barker. He was born 5 October 1827 at Coventry, Warwickshire, England.
John's father was from Northampton, his mother from Norwich, England. They belonged to the upper gentry of England as Ann often said of her husband, "He mingled with Dukes and Lords." John Newman was a silk weaver by trade. When about twenty years old he joined the Church and emigrated to Utah in 1853. He died at Willard, 30 March 1909 at the age of 82 years.
His mother, Mary Ann Smart, was born at Coventry, Warwickshire, on 12 August 1831, the daughter of Benjamin and Martha Smart. Her father died when she was a baby, leaving her mother to support herself and four small children. At the age of six years she hired out a nursemaid and later she learned the trade of silk weaving. She joined the Church in 1844. At the age of 18 she married John Newman in 1849. She was the mother of 14 children. Mary died at Willard, Utah on 11 February 1900, at the age of 69.
Alonzo was the sixth child in a family of 14 children, however he was the second living child as several died in infancy. His brother, Brigham Orson, was older. The younger ones were: Mary Ann born on 12 August 1860; S. L. Samuel Henry born on 31 January 1863 at Wellsville; Martha Ann born on 28 May 1865 at Willard; Alfred Great born on 5 May 1867; Luella born on 28 September 1873. These six children, four boys and two girls were the only ones of the 14 to grow to maturity.
John Newman and Mary Ann had located in Willard, an outpost settlement. They were very poor and food was scarce. Many times they drove as far as Hot Springs to dig sego lily roots. When they received the terrifying news that the United States Army was coming to destroy them, everyone in the outlying towns were ordered to desert their homes and return to Salt Lake City immediately.
It was spring and the crops were being planted and everything looked green and prosperous as John and Mary and their four year old son, Brigham, packed as many of their few possessions as they could in their wagon, filled their house with straw, hitched up their oxen, and with heavy hearts turned their backs on their new home. They left only a few men to start the fires should the army come.
They traveled in a three and a quarter inch wagon with no springs, a dead x, as wagons were built in those days. Upon arriving in Salt Lake City they found the streets thronged with people, wagons, cattle, horses, sheep and pigs all heading southward. They joined the rest and after several days journey, they camped at American Fork about ten miles this side of Provo, which was headquarters and where Pres. Young built shanties for his families. Others built shanties but most of them lived in wagon boxes set on the ground.
March, April, May and June came and went, still Pres. Young felt it unsafe for them to return; however, during that time he was negotiating a treaty with the Army officials, making several trips from his temporary shanty home at Provo to Salt Lake. Finally he was satisfied and there appeared in the Deseret News of 1 July 1858 this note: "All who now wish to return to their homes may do so." In a few days the roads were blocked with hundreds of wagons wending their way northward from their temporary exile; and in a few weeks Salt Lake City and the villages which had been abandoned again resumed their customary ways of life.
John Newman and Mary were among the last to leave, as on the day the order was given to return home, a son was born to them, as recorded in the old family bible, "Alonzo John was born at ten thirty at night on 1 July 1858." We have no record of when they left excepting they were there about six months, which probably meant they remained until Alonzo was a few weeks old before they began the long journey of 80 miles over the rough dusty roads. While Alonzo was still very young they moved back to Salt Lake, then to Wellsville, back to Salt Lake and finally they bought a farm in Willard and made it their permanent home.
Their home was a simple one, built of adobe with a thatched roof and dirt floors. These were later covered with boards. There were two rooms, a kitchen and bedroom. The furniture was homemade, substantial and comfortable. The chairs had rawhide seats, the beds were laced with rawhide on which was placed a straw tick. They had a sheet iron stove replacing the old fireplace.
Due to hard times John Newmqn was forced to leave his family and go to Montana where he earned better wages, which were badly needed by the growing family. During his absence the boys took care of the family. At the age of 7, Alonzo went with his older brother, Brigham who was about 12, to Facers Creek and the Hogback to get their winter's wood, with the ox team Rock and Paddy, a little team they prized very highly, as they had raised them from calves.
Rock was the favorite, he was gentle and dependable, a light roan in color. Paddy was spotted and a good mate for Rock. When the boys felled a tree they would tie one end of the rope to the tree and the other end to Rock's neck and drag it down the mountain to the wagon where it was loaded. It was a big days work for two small boys to get a load of wood.
When Alonzo was about 10 years old he went with Brigham to Wellsville for lime. He drove a yoke of oxen to help build the school house in which he attended his first school. His schooling was very meager.
The first money Alonzo ever earned was when he drove two miners to the High Springs, for which he charged a dollar, with his ox team Rock and Paddy. Two dollars was a lot of money in those days. His father later bought another team of oxen from Orson Merrill, named Brin and Brandy, but Rock and Paddy remained the favorite with the boys.
In spite of poverty and hard work the boys still had some time to play. Alonzo and his pals, Stevie Wight, Reuben and Brig Nebeker, and his half brother Orson, who was then living with them, gathered in the evening to play. They were often joined by other boys and girls. Their favorite games were baseball, six sticks (a game similar to our steal sticks), draw base and run sheep run. They had parties at which they played games and served lemonade. When a new house was completed they initiated it by having a dance. Sometimes they boys clubbed together and bought a bottle of wine, which decidedly raised their spirits.
Their clothes were homespun. Their mother obtained the materials and hired Mrs. Crabs, a Swiss lady, to do most of the sewing. In the winter they had no rubbers nor overcoats, just their ordinary coats and a homemade cap, warm home knit stockings and jean trousers.
When in his teens, Alonzo and his gang, Brigham, Reuben and Orson, decided they were really going to celebrate. They all chipped in and bought a half gallon of beer, four clay pipes and some tobacco, and then hid themselves in the cellar. They poured out the beer, which was just enough for a large glassful each. It tasted swell! Then they filled the pipes and lit them, and leisurely pulled on them for about ten minutes, but somehow they didn't feel so hot, and one by one their heads began to spin and they got deathly sick. When John Newman found them he told Alonzo he had better "get to bed." It wasn't until the next morning that he found the real cause of the sudden illness. It took the boys three days to get back to normal. Alonzo suggested that this incident, by way of explanation, be labeled "A Moral Object Lesson."
The first Sunday School Alonzo attended was held in John Wood's home, later George H. Facer's. It was mutual that attracted him first, then he became interested in Sunday School. When they finally had a permanent place to meet it was but one room, and they all sat on homemade benches. They held the A B C and testament classes. The boys and girls were in different groups. There were no curtains to separate the different classes.
When Alonzo was 24, he married Elizabeth Stauffer on 24 December 1882 which came on Sunday. They both attended Sunday School and after dinner the two immediate families gathered at John Newman's home where William Thomas Brewerton officiated the ceremony that united the young couple, "for better or for worse," at two o'clock in the afternoon. After the ceremony and congratulations, John Newman passed the wine and toasts were drunk to the newlyweds.
About four o'clock a wedding supper was served by the parents of the bridegroom. The bride wore a grey delaine dress modestly made with a polonaise bustle back and trimmed with fringe. The young couple made their home temporarily at the home of the groom's parents. John Newman presented them with a wedding gift of five dollars.
When their first child was about a year old, they traded farms with his brother Orson and moved to Elba, Idaho. They hauled logs from the canyon and built a two room house, only one room was finished. It had hewn log walls filled with plaster chinking and a dirt roof. The next year the bedroom was finished.
Alonzo helped build the log school house where later the children went to school, and of which he was a member of the Trustee Board for many years. He also helped build the rock meeting house and the Relief Society Hall and the academy at Oakley. He served on the building and amusement committee for many years with Bishop Thomas Taylor and O. F. Beecher. He was also the superintendent of Sunday School under Bishop Hubbard.
John Newman's health was failing and it was becoming increasingly difficult for him to run his farm. So he wrote to Alonzo and asked if he would like to buy part of the old home. The deal was made and the home in Elba sold. In April 1907, they packed their belongings in a wagon and hay rack, and started back to their childhood home. A few nights before, a farewell dance and picnic had been held. Alonzo and Elizabeth were presented each with a gold watch chain as a token of affection from the people of Elba. The three days journey was not very pleasant as it was rainy weather and the roads were terrible, deep mud and ruts. Finally both teams were hitched on the wagon, and the hay rack left at Blind Springs, where Rover, the dog, kept guard and refused to budge until several days later when the roads were better and they went back for it.
Alonzo took an active part in the community life at Willard. He was teacher of the High Priests, President of the Fruit Growers Association for two years, and a member for five. He was a member of the building committee and was a bondsman with Joseph Hubbard for building classrooms and an amusement hall on the Willard Chapel. He was president of the genealogical organization for three years, a member of the ward choir for many years, and a ward teacher for over forty years.
The following is a copy of the story Alonzo John Barker wrote of his own life, written in his handwriting and copied from Hazel Barker Bott's Book of Remembrance.
I helped build first school house. I went to school in north Willard. Also helped build the first school house our children went to school in in Elba, Idaho. helped build Elba meeting house and amusement hall. Also the Oakley, Idaho, Academy. was apoint home teacher at 25 or ward teacher and are still active. Moved back to Willard in the year 1907 and was put on a commitee to build the amusement hall. Also President of the Willard Fruit Growers Asocociation. for about 3 years. worked in the Sunday School Superintendence both in Elba and North Willard. Was apointed President of the Genealogical and Temple work at Willard for about 3 years. was teacher of the High Priest. Also teacher of the Parents Class in Sunday School. have lived under 7 bishops and 5 Presidents of stakes. Also seen and known by sight all the presidents of the church except the Prophet Joseph Smith. and to my understanding principal of doctron and firmness. and as Bishop Willam J. Facer comes first. now as to where we first got aquainted is a mistery to some but to me it is clear. We associated and played together and hed likes and dislikes and as John Taylor says, we agreed that when we came down here we would take certain ones as our companions, and what hapened between my Grandpaw and Grandmother wood signify. At least Grandfather has made up his mind for when they first met in Coventry, England, he said, 'My wench, give me yoar hand. She said I wont. Then he said here is my hand and here is my heart, and my god within two weeks though shalt be my wife.'
written by A. J. Barker"